1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a method and apparatus for extending a medical table to facilitate medical procedures and/or medical imaging.
2. Related Art
Various medical procedures and medical imaging often require a patient to be recumbent on a medical table, such as an operating table. Standard operating tables include metal tracks along either side to allow attachment of armboards. Such armboards include clamping mechanisms allowing the armboard to clamp onto the tracks of the table. Thus, a patient's arm can be extending from the medical table and onto the armboard for intravenous access, surgical intervention, and the like. Such armboards are often thick and include metal reinforcement. The configuration of such armboards is often incompatible with medical imaging. For example, with radiographic imaging, the metal reinforcement causes interference or obstruction with the image. Thus, the patient's arm is often repeatedly repositioned off the armboard to obtain unobstructed images. Repositioning consumes valuable operative time and compromises sterility. In addition, the thickness of the armboard positions the image intensifier away from the arm, reducing clarity. Similar problems exist with the medical table itself.